Graduation Gift
by Laurenke1
Summary: It is customary to give gifts on somebody's graduation but will Harry Potter get that as well or will his lover refrain from the traditions? Slash, established relationship


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Harry Potter. **

**Note: This was for my own amusement because I graduated and I wanted to share this. Let's begin. **

**Summary: It is customary to give gifts on somebody's graduation but will Harry Potter get that as well or will his lover refrain from the traditions? **

**Warnings: slash.**

**Author: Laurenke1. **

**Title: Graduation gifts **

"You know, as of 12 o'clock tonight, I'm going to be officially graduated." Harry Potter lay on the bed, eating one of the chocolate biscuits his lover kept in one of the cupboards underneath his desk. It was a well hidden secret that Severus Snape had a sweet tooth but it was a secret Harry had discovered after their lovemaking. Imagine his surprise when he had lay in bed sated, expected to be send back to his dormitory at once and instead Severus had asked if he preferred dark or milk chocolate.

"And your point being?" The dark voice was hidden by the book that Severus was reading. Harry munched on his biscuit and frowned.

"We can finally state in public that we have been having sex…." He finally said, narrowing his green eyes at his lover who seemed completely at ease with reading after they had sex.

"Is that your only reason for bringing this up? I believe that we had enough sex in public even before you graduated so I fail to see what the difference shall be now." Severus lowered his book so he could look at Harry. At the heat in his eyes and the memories that resurfaced Harry blushed as he glanced down and fumbled with the sheets.

"It isn't the point…" He muttered.

"Oh, then what is? I'm nearly dying of excitement here." Harry had to suppress a laugh before he glanced up through his fringe and said.

"It is customary that people who are graduated get a gift…"

"And my undying love and affection is not a gift enough for you?" Severus' voice hardened.

"No, of course, I mean, yes of course it is. " Harry stammered. Severus closed his book with a snap and hissed.

"Well, which one is it? Yes or no."

"Yes, of course, it is yes. What else did you expect?"

"No, what else do you expect, Potter?" The Potions Master hissed.

"Nothing, I expect nothing…" Harry finally whispered. He looked away. He knew better then to expect anything. It never turned out the way it should and all his live he had learned at a young age that it was better not to expect nothing at all and be surprised then to expect something and be disappointed when he received nothing. Besides, Severus was right. His love and affection were a gift in itself to Harry, especially when he thought he would never be so lucky in his life to be loved by Severus Snape.

But that didn't take away that it would have been nice to receive a gift. He knew he would get gifts from the Weasleys and his friends but this would be a special gift from Severus, his lover.

He sighed and glanced back at Severus to see that the older wizard was glowering at him as he said in a clear voice. "I think that you need to make up your mind. If you aren't expecting anything then why did you bring it up?"

Damn Severus for knowing him so well as Harry said. "I don't know…I was just dropping a hint I suppose. But it is okay…"

"You must have a very excellent reason for dropping hints!"

"Alright, I just wanted to know if you had gotten me a gift but I suppose that you don't do gifts and I should be honored that I have your undying love and affection, having nearly lost you after the Final Battle!" Harry was fed up with this as he shouted, losing his temper. "Just forget I ever mentioned anything, alright. I was just saying something and nothing more."

"Harry, what were you expecting? A gift because you managed to make it through school and pass, like so many other people before you. It is no great achievement…"

Harry winced sharply. He looked away again and bit his lip to prevent himself from lashing out. For him it was a great achievement. He had fought Voldemort and he had managed to keep on top of his classes, well mostly. He glanced back at Severus when he felt something soft nudge his shoulder, Severus was looking at him before he said. "A great achievement is convincing somebody who believes himself incapable of loving to love. It is to make that person see that giving himself each and every day is what counts the most and to have that love returned even when you have had precious little love in your life you can still give all that love that is to give. A great achievement is to defeat somebody in battle who has more experience and power then you. To continue on when everything else seems hopeless. Those are great achievements, in comparison to finishing school."

Harry swallowed. He knew Severus was right but sometimes it was nice to honor the normal things in life.

"Most people long for those extraordinary things that you and I have done and see but they cannot achieve them because they do not honor the normal things. It is a real statement of your personality that you do."

"Yeah but you see it as foolish."

"I may regard it as such, yes." Severus acknowledged. The older wizard glanced at the clock as it chimed and said. "You should go. Curfew is in five minutes and I do not want you to be late on your final day at Hogwarts..."

"But…"

"Tomorrow, Harry, from tomorrow on you can stay. But for now return to your dormitory." The Professor was firm and Harry finally nodded. He slipped from the bed after one final kiss and got dressed. Taking one last look at the naked man on the bed who went back to his reading, he wondered, would Severus really have no gift for him?

Hp

Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry raised her wand as she shot sparks before she rose from her seat behind the Head Table. She smiled as the noise dimmed in the Great Hall as she said, casting a Sonorous Charm on her voice. "Another year has gone by and what a year it has been. During this year Lord Voldemort has finally been defeated by Harry Potter and while the fight has raged in this very hall and most of the castle that was destroyed has been rebuild. This was also a year of losses, we have lost fifty of our own students and I would like to take this moment to have a moment of silence to honor those that died defending us."

Harry bowed his head. He didn't need much encouragement or moments to remember those friends he had lost. He remembered them each and every day and while the agony wasn't so biting as it had been a year ago it was still not fully healed.

Severus had managed to help him deal with his guilt and his losses by being there for him and by being the lover Harry wanted and needed. He had needed somebody to rave at and somebody to fight as Severus had stepped up those first few months of the school year to become Harry's dueling partner. They had dueled every weekend, releasing stress and pent up energy and it hadn't taken long before the rage had been replaced by arousal and eventually love.

Harry glanced up around the hall, all heads were bowed and Hagrid was holding a large handkerchief to his mouth in which he blew noisingly. He glanced towards Severus to see that the older male had his eyes closed. Harry could not guess who his lover was thinking about though he could guess. He wondered what Severus was thinking now.

This was the last time that they were ever going to eat like this. The last time he was going to be here as a student. Would he ever return to Hogwarts? Sure he would, if it was just to visit Severus. The Potions Master still had his house in Spinner's End but he would not go there to live during the school year. He would stay at Hogwarts and Harry…? Yeah, what would Harry do? He wasn't even so sure about that himself.

He had thought about becoming an Auror but then he had decided that it wasn't something he wanted to do. He was thoroughly sick and tired of chasing after dark wizards or witches. Perhaps he could become a curse breaker or do something with potions but first he was going to relax during the summer and perhaps travel a little bit for a year. There was so much that he wanted to see. He should have had this summer last year but then so much had to be arranged and everything.. Yeah, that was what Harry wanted, a nice and quite summer.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat again before she smiled and said. "But now that the time for sadness is over, there is a time of joy. And that joy is that as of today we have excellent students that are graduating. This class isn't a normal class. All students at this school have been through a lot but these students are exceptional students. They have been tested beyond their years and some have done things that no adult wizard or witch will ever do. How could they possibly achieve even greater things now that they will set out into the real world I wonder?"

"Will they live their own lives, right at the heart of our magical world or will they move away to new worlds? Will they astonish us with new discoveries or will they be content to live their life with somebody they care about? Some will be regularly in the news while others will fade into the background. Some we will see here at Hogwarts while others may venture into the Muggle World. But we do know that there will be many new experiences and discoveries waiting to happen…."

The hall muttered as Professor McGonagall fell silent. She was staring at a lone owl that dared to swoop in during her end of the year speech. Students turned to follow the owl with their eyes as it swooped down low into the hall, over the tables until it finally arrived at the Gryffindor one. _Oh please, no, come on…I don't want to draw any more attention to myself. _

But no matter how Harry prayed, the owl did come to land in front of him. It was a brown barn owl, a nice one, Harry thought, not one that looked familiar at all. The letter was addressed to him, of that he was most sure but he didn't recognize the seal on the letter. He quickly removed the letter from the owl's leg and muttered a quick apology, pulling the letter into his lap to read it later. He gestured for Professor McGonagall to continue with her speech but the moment the elderly witch looked away the letter had completely different idea.

It rose up in the air, much to the amusement of the other students as Harry tried to grab it but the letter evaded his attempts and cheerfully announced to the silent Great Hall.

"**Congratulations to Mr. Harry James Potter with the acquiring of your first home. The Rosebud House in Hogsmeade is a beautiful family home with a large garden that is ideal for growing vegetables or herbs. It is only a stone throw away from Hogwarts and from the busy shopping centre that is so popular with the students…."**

The letter had obviously been charmed to say this as it went to describe Harry's new house. His mouth had fallen open as Harry listened in silence. The last time he had checked he never had bought a house, he had a house for Merlin's sake. Alright it was a little run down and had some annoying portraits but it was a house…

"**If there are further questions you may feel free to ask them now."**

The letter announced and Harry shook himself as he blurted out. "But I didn't buy a house!"

"**The house has been signed over to you, Mr. Potter."**

"But who would give me a house? It isn't hexed now, is it?" Harry didn't care that the whole hall could listen to his conversation or the fact that Professor McGonagall was glaring at him and she had crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for him to finish.

"**The keys have been delivered to your ****Gringrots account but there was a note that I have been instructed to deliver by the giver of this gift. 'This house belongs to Harry James Potter because he has graduated from Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. This house was bought in Hogsmeade because I know from personal experience how much Harry Potter likes to live close to Hogwarts because he thinks of the castle as home. Since the school does not allow graduated students to live at Hogwarts when they do not work here, I felt that the it would be beneficial for us both if you came to live close to Hogwarts and thus I purchased this house for us."**

Harry blinked, trying to think who would buy him a house as a graduation present. All the people he knew who were graduation were all moving away to different jobs and careers. The only person that stayed at Hogwarts was….

He turned around, looking up at the High Table to see the smirk that was directed at him.

"As fascinated as this is, can we please get back to the end of the year speech now?" Professor McGonagall inquired.

"But Professor, I want to know who would give somebody a house. All I got was a cat…"

"Or a broom…"

"A job offering…'

"An apprenticeship…'

"Yeah, Headmistress, we want to know who would give Potter a house. They must really like him and live at Hogwarts or work here…"

"It is very romantic to buy your lover a home so that he doesn't have to move away…"

"Yeah, it is sweet."

Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes as she said, addressing the envelope who hung in the air innocently. "Very well, who was the person that gifted Mr. Potter with a house?"

The envelope would have smirked if it was possible as it announced. "**The gifter also foresaw this question and he has added an additional note. 'You'll have to ask Mr. Potter if he is willing to come out of the closet…"**

Oh Merlin, was Harry ever? He rose from the Gryffindor Table as the envelope settled back on the table innocently. He raced up the steps towards the staff table to the amusement of the students. The muttering went up in the Great Hall as Harry approached Professor McGonagall but the noise level rose significantly when Harry bypassed the elderly witch to launch himself at his lover. Severus had already anticipated it because he had pushed back his chair and the strong arms were immediately wrapped around Harry.

Harry settled into Severus' lap with little encouragement as he kissed his lover full upon the lips, sealing their relationship in the eyes of his classmates.

"So, does that mean that you have accepted the house or do you demand more gifts?" Severus' voice rumbled through the silent hall.

"Well, there is one more thing I would like to demand." Harry said innocently. The green eyes were looking into the dark ones without regards for the students that were holding their breath as Severus finally said.

"And what is that?"

"That you move in with me."

"I suppose I'm willing to submit myself to that." Severus smirked and then kissed Harry and as the whole hall erupted into cheer, Harry knew that he would never be comfortable leaving Hogwarts but as long as the next adventure in his life was going to be shared by Severus, then he would be with his lover every step of the way.

The end

**I hope you liked it. So that was my little present for myself. Review of course. **


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